Writers We Loved in the ’90s: Where Are They Now?

The ’90s publishing paradigm favored confessional memoirs, legal thrillers, and books about genetically recreated dinosaurs taking over amusement parks. We couldn’t get enough of the stuff. But though we still enjoy the confessional memoir, we’re less inclined to go for a Crichton rip-off today, for whatever the reason. Probably because we’re too engrossed in reading vampire fiction for chaste teens or books about four-year-olds seeing the light. What were the authors you loved in the ’90s that you think fell of the map a bit, readers? Let us know in the comments section below.

Katherine Dunn

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Last year, The Paris Review published a short story by Dunn titled “Rhonda Discovers Art,” one of the first fiction contributions in years by the elusive author of Geek Love — a bizarre, hilarious, and heartwarming novel that was nominated for a National Book Award in 1989, and dominated the literary scene well into the ’90s. Caitlin Roper, the former managing editor of The Paris Review, wrote on their blog, “A while ago, I wrote Katherine Dunn a fan letter. In reaction to my heaps of heartfelt praise, she said simply, ‘I’m so grateful that you found it funny. Not everyone gets the jokes.’” You can read “Rhonda Discovers Art” here; it’s an excerpt from Cut Man, a novel Dunn has been working on for decades; we’ll continue to wait patiently for its arrival. In the meantime, anyone who is interesting in boxing should hunt down Dunn’s articles on the subject; you won’t be disappointed.